Trump Moves to Block State AI Rules, Pushes Single National Standard to Counter China

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a sweeping executive order aimed at preventing states from regulating artificial intelligence, asserting that a fragmented regulatory landscape threatens U.S. innovation and global competitiveness—particularly against China.

The order directs the Trump administration to establish a unified federal framework for artificial intelligence while actively challenging state-level AI laws that conflict with the administration’s vision of light-touch regulation. At the center of the initiative is the creation of an AI Litigation Task Force, to be formed within 30 days by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The task force’s sole mandate will be to challenge state AI laws in court that the administration believes unlawfully regulate interstate commerce, are preempted by federal authority, or otherwise violate the Constitution.

Speaking during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump argued that allowing individual states such as California or New York to dictate AI policy would cripple American innovation and investment.

“You have to have a central source of approval,” Trump said. “If AI companies had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it. There’s only going to be one winner here—the U.S. or China—and we are winning by a lot.”

Trump repeatedly emphasized that China’s centralized regulatory system gives it a strategic advantage, warning that a single hostile state regulator could derail U.S. technological dominance if state-by-state rules are allowed to proliferate.

The executive order also gives the Commerce Department enforcement leverage by tying compliance to federal funding. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is instructed to identify states with what the administration calls “onerous” AI laws and notify them that they may be deemed ineligible for certain funds under the $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which distributes federal technology funding nationwide.

White House AI Czar David Saks said the administration is responding to an explosion of state-level legislation, noting that more than 1,000 AI-related bills are currently moving through state legislatures.

“You’ve got 50 states running in 50 different directions,” Saks said. “That kind of patchwork creates uncertainty, drives up compliance costs, and discourages startups. We need one national standard, not chaos.”

Saks pushed back against Democratic criticism that the order weakens consumer protections, arguing that the administration’s approach does not override legitimate state laws on child safety or lawful procurement, but instead targets regulations that impose ideological mandates or force AI systems to distort truthful outputs.

The text of the executive order specifically highlights concerns that some state laws—such as bans on so-called “algorithmic discrimination”—could compel AI systems to generate false or manipulated results to satisfy political or ideological requirements. The administration says such mandates risk violating the First Amendment and undermining public trust in AI systems.

Republican lawmakers largely welcomed the move. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana called the order “an important step” toward protecting American innovation and said it would encourage billions of dollars in additional investment.

“China is moving very aggressively, and some states want to undermine our ability to lead,” Scalise said. “The president is making it clear that America will not regulate itself out of the future.”

Democrats, meanwhile, accused Trump of siding with Big Tech. Progressive critics argued that limiting state authority could reduce accountability for harmful AI uses, such as deepfakes or biased hiring algorithms. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts claimed Republicans were attempting to “sneak” an AI moratorium into federal legislation, while New York congressional candidate Alex Bores accused Trump of dismantling safeguards.

Notably, the executive order leaves room for congressional action. It directs senior White House advisors to work with lawmakers on legislation establishing a uniform federal AI framework that would preempt conflicting state laws while preserving state authority over child protection, infrastructure permitting, and government use of AI.

The move follows the Trump administration’s earlier release of a Silicon Valley–friendly AI action plan, which sought to roll back regulatory barriers and attract trillions of dollars in private investment. While some Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have raised concerns about federal overreach, the White House maintains that a single national standard is essential to winning what Trump has called “the AI race of the century.”
Trump Moves to Block State AI Rules, Pushes Single National Standard to Counter China

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a sweeping executive order aimed at preventing states from regulating artificial intelligence, asserting that a fragmented regulatory landscape threatens U.S. innovation and global competitiveness—particularly against China.

The order directs the Trump administration to establish a unified federal framework for artificial intelligence while actively challenging state-level AI laws that conflict with the administration’s vision of light-touch regulation. At the center of the initiative is the creation of an AI Litigation Task Force, to be formed within 30 days by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The task force’s sole mandate will be to challenge state AI laws in court that the administration believes unlawfully regulate interstate commerce, are preempted by federal authority, or otherwise violate the Constitution.

Speaking during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump argued that allowing individual states such as California or New York to dictate AI policy would cripple American innovation and investment.

“You have to have a central source of approval,” Trump said. “If AI companies had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it. There’s only going to be one winner here—the U.S. or China—and we are winning by a lot.”

Trump repeatedly emphasized that China’s centralized regulatory system gives it a strategic advantage, warning that a single hostile state regulator could derail U.S. technological dominance if state-by-state rules are allowed to proliferate.

The executive order also gives the Commerce Department enforcement leverage by tying compliance to federal funding. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is instructed to identify states with what the administration calls “onerous” AI laws and notify them that they may be deemed ineligible for certain funds under the $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which distributes federal technology funding nationwide.

White House AI Czar David Saks said the administration is responding to an explosion of state-level legislation, noting that more than 1,000 AI-related bills are currently moving through state legislatures.

“You’ve got 50 states running in 50 different directions,” Saks said. “That kind of patchwork creates uncertainty, drives up compliance costs, and discourages startups. We need one national standard, not chaos.”

Saks pushed back against Democratic criticism that the order weakens consumer protections, arguing that the administration’s approach does not override legitimate state laws on child safety or lawful procurement, but instead targets regulations that impose ideological mandates or force AI systems to distort truthful outputs.

The text of the executive order specifically highlights concerns that some state laws—such as bans on so-called “algorithmic discrimination”—could compel AI systems to generate false or manipulated results to satisfy political or ideological requirements. The administration says such mandates risk violating the First Amendment and undermining public trust in AI systems.

Republican lawmakers largely welcomed the move. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana called the order “an important step” toward protecting American innovation and said it would encourage billions of dollars in additional investment.

“China is moving very aggressively, and some states want to undermine our ability to lead,” Scalise said. “The president is making it clear that America will not regulate itself out of the future.”

Democrats, meanwhile, accused Trump of siding with Big Tech. Progressive critics argued that limiting state authority could reduce accountability for harmful AI uses, such as deepfakes or biased hiring algorithms. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts claimed Republicans were attempting to “sneak” an AI moratorium into federal legislation, while New York congressional candidate Alex Bores accused Trump of dismantling safeguards.

Notably, the executive order leaves room for congressional action. It directs senior White House advisors to work with lawmakers on legislation establishing a uniform federal AI framework that would preempt conflicting state laws while preserving state authority over child protection, infrastructure permitting, and government use of AI.

The move follows the Trump administration’s earlier release of a Silicon Valley–friendly AI action plan, which sought to roll back regulatory barriers and attract trillions of dollars in private investment. While some Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have raised concerns about federal overreach, the White House maintains that a single national standard is essential to winning what Trump has called “the AI race of the century.”

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